


Snow Day

by lilymae92



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marauder's - Fandom
Genre: F/M, jily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 11:24:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilymae92/pseuds/lilymae92





	Snow Day

Snow crunched under their feet as they walked, Lily’s thin hands moving to take off her mittens and stuff them carefully in her jacket’s pockets. She smoothed out her jacket front and then slid her hands to her hat, making sure it was on properly, fingers moving through her deep red hair on the way back down her body. She smiled when she peered over to James, who had been acting a bit jumpy all morning.  
  
Lily was sure he was up to something. He had to have something planned, or a special present, or… anything. She wasn’t quite sure, but after they had parted from their friends, (the ones that had stayed at Hogwarts for the break), he grew a bit quieter. Of course, she could just be taking his mood for more than it meant, but her intuition was usually right. Walking through Hogsmeade wasn’t as carefree an event as it had been in the past. The streets were nearly empty, even with it being Christmas day, Lily would have expected a few people out and about.

Yet, there they were. Walking together in the silence as the cold started to permeate through their clothes. Instinctively, Lily pressed closer against her boyfriend’s side and took in a deep breath of the frosty air, “Where are we going?”  
  
He was silent for a few more moments, one hand moving from his pocket and sliding around her waist, the other still tucked tight in his jacket, clenched, “Just up here. To the cliff.”  
  
Nodding as she leaned fully against his side now that his arm was out of the way, she smiled, murmuring and watching the little puffs of air push past her lips, “Once the sun sets, it’s going to get colder.”  
  
It was nearly all the way down to the horizon line, ready to dip below the mountains in the distance at any moment. James simply nodded, smiling a little nervous as he kissed her on the side of her head, her hat shifting slightly out of place, and then back as he pulled away.

She tried to focus on walking, their footsteps falling slower as they approached the tree that marked the topmost point of the hill they were on. Her breath came in deep. Once. Twice. Again. Leaning back against the tree, she forced a small smile, looking James’ face over with a slight twinge of curiosity. They had been dating for half a year or so, since just after the start of term. Talking before that, getting closer. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already been friends, but even now she was still starting to learn new things about him. Every day was a discovery.

Now looking over his face seemed like a puzzle. Decoding his emotions, his state of mind… She bit her lip, sliding her hands to his jacket front to pull him a bit closer, “Talk to me, love.”

Hazel orbs peered up into her eyes quickly, his smile flickering and causing hers to do the same. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled close at her urging and spoke softly, “Just been thinking a lot lately.”  
  
The corners of her mouth turned up a little at his words, her own voice coming out a bit softer than she thought it would, “Yeah? There’s a lot to think about.” She paused, her smile fading a little as she murmured, “Anything in particular?”

Thoughts of the raging war must have been flashing through his head, because there was a brief moment where his countenance was heavy and his breathing was thick. She slid a hand up to his cheek, thumb rubbing against his jaw as she searched his eyes, “James?”

Swallowing hard, he glanced back into her eyes, clenching his jaw and muttering as he took in small, shallow breaths, “Lily… I…” There seemed to be words that just wouldn’t come out, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t form the words he needed to say. Finally, he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and resting his forehead against hers, “Life is short.”

It wasn’t too unexpected. That was something they discussed often, but it was always a side conversation. Never the direct topic. So, unsure how to respond, she pressed a soft kiss on the side of his lips, “I know.”

He didn’t kiss back, instead pulling his head away an inch or so as he let his eyes wander over her face. Lily tried to make sense of what the bloody boy was thinking, but tried not to show the frustration on her face. Swallowing hard, he licked his dry lips, voice fragile as he continued, “And I want to spend the rest of my short life with you… if you don’t mind.”

The implications of what he had just said were buzzing behind her thoughts, slowly creeping into her senses as she realized what he was doing. Her breathing grew light, shallow, the thin wisps of white air mingling with James’ as she waited to see if he was going to go on. She was frozen in place, just like the lake below them, as he continued with her silence, “I mean, we’re going to be off, fighting in this godforsaken war, in just a few months. Who knows what might happen to us then.” He slid his free hand from her waist to the hand she had on his cheek, grasping it lightly and moving it carefully down with him as he fell to one knee.

Lily stared, no emotions playing out on her face simply due to the flooding emotions running through her mind. She couldn’t pick one to display, so she appeared numb, her hand shaking ever so slightly in his. Half of it was from the cold, and the rest was from her nerves.

He squeezed her delicate fingers and pulled his other hand from his pocket, a beautiful, golden, handcrafted ring in between his forefinger and thumb. It had several small diamonds lining the top of it, and the gold swirled in small designs around the band. Taking in a small breath, he spoke only loud enough for her to hear, “So… will you marry me?”

Moments seemed like hours, the silence booming in her ears. She stared at the ring, and then into his eyes, before nodding slowly, murmuring as she felt the ground seemingly start to float from under her, “Yes. Yes, I will.” She smiled a bit as she searched his eyes, nodding again as she started to brighten up at the prospect, “Of course I will.”

Any other moment in time, any other boy, and things might have been different… but the smile on this boy’s face as he slid the warm ring onto her left ring finger made her heart do somersaults. She was grinning just as wide as he was by the time he pulled up to stand, her hands wrapping around his neck as his snaked around her waist.

The words echoed through her head as he leaned in for a kiss, her eyes fluttering shut at the feel of his warm breath mixed so intimately with hers. She could feel his smile against her lips, her body starting to heat up from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. The darkness that wrapped both of them in a blanket of solid cold meant nothing to her in that moment. They would have time for warm couches and worn blankets later that night… For now she wanted her fiancé.

Maybe she was being foolish, accepting his offer, but that was the Potter way of life.


End file.
